A short stack: books to look for in 2013

“Hokey Pokey,” by Jerry Spinelli (Knopf, released last week): A boy named Jack lives in a place called Hokey Pokey, where kids rule and grown-ups don’t exist. Life is grand until Jack’s beloved bike is stolen; suddenly, his world stops making sense. Gradually, Jack realizes that he’s growing up. This fable for middle grade readers was written by the author of “Maniac Magee,” which won the 1991 Newbery Medal.

“The Burgess Boys,” by Elizabeth Strout (Random House, March 26): From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “Olive Kitteridge,” a novel about coming home. Brothers Jim and Bob Burgess escaped their small Maine hometown to become New York City lawyers. But when their sister, Susan, calls them back, the brothers return, their relationship forever changed.

“Gulp,” by Mary Roach (Norton, April 1): Ever wonder how much you could eat before your stomach bursts? Or why crunchy food is so appealing? Or what killed Elvis? Mary Roach, author of “Stiff” and “Packing for Mars,” can help, in this book subtitled “Adventures on the Alimentary Canal.” Among other places, Roach brings readers into a live stomach to witness the fate of a meal.

“The Interestings,” by Meg Wolitzer (Riverhead, April 9): In this ambitious book about talent, Wolitzer — a writers’ writer who authors absolutely rave about — follows six teenagers who become fast friends at a summer camp for the artistically gifted. As they age through the 1970s, ‘80s and ‘90s, what happens to their gifts? Who becomes rich? Who ends up happy? Does each character stay “special?”

“Barbecue Crossroads,” by Robb Walsh, photographs by O. Rufus Lovett (University of Texas Press, April 15): James Beard Award-winner Robb Walsh takes readers from East Texas to the Carolinas and back in this book of stories, recipes and photographs. Walsh is plugged into the Texas food scene in as many ways as you can cook a potato: as a writer, a consulting partner in Houston’s El Real Tex-Mex Cafe, as founder and judge of the Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival, as co-founder of Foodways Texas, which celebrates the diverse cuisine of the Lonestar state, and more.

“Let’s Explore Diabetes With Owls,” by David Sedaris (Little, Brown and Co., April 23): New essays from the humorist. Here’s an excerpt: “For the first eighteen years we were together, I’d give Hugh chocolates for Valentine’s Day and he’d give me a carton of cigarettes. Both of us got exactly what we wanted and it couldn’t have been easier. Then I quit smoking and decided that in the place of the cigarettes I needed, say, this eighteenth-century scientific model of the human throat. It was life-sized, about four inches long, and because it was old, handmade, and designed to be taken apart for study, it cost quite a bit of money. ‘When did Valentine’s Day turn into this?’ Hugh asked…”

“The Son,” by Philipp Meyer (HarperCollins, May 28): Billed as a mash-up of “Lonesome Dove” and “Blood Meridian,” this novel charts the history of the American West by way of the McCulloughs, an ambitious, resilient family. Oh, and it’s set in Texas.